New Delhi, April 2 (IANS) Khalistani terror groups such as the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) have decided to step up the offensive as they come under immense pressure from the law enforcement agencies.
This comes in the wake of the ISI gearing up the BKI to step up operations and carry out a major strike in India. With attempts in India to strike big being thwarted regularly by the agencies, the BKI has decided to indulge in smaller attacks and extortion rackets.
An Intelligence Bureau official said that the aim is to keep striking in a smaller way at regular intervals. Smaller strikes at regular intervals will keep the police busy, and this window is what the BKI is looking for to carry out a major attack.
In January 2026, Indian agencies learned of a meeting held with top security officials in Pakistan and the leadership of the BKI. During that meeting, it was decided that the BKI would be the leading outfit and the rest of the groups, such as the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and others, would work together as one unit.
For these outfits, the improved ties between India, Canada, and the United Kingdom have become a major headache. Canada and India have, in recent months, been working very closely with each other to put an end to the Khalistani terror menace. Just a week ago, Canada’s House of Commons passed a bill that would make it illegal to display terrorist symbols, such as flags of Khalistani groups like Babbar Khalsa. This has put a spoke in the activities of terror groups such as the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which have organised referendums against India and in favour of the Khalistan movement in various countries.
Officials say that they have noticed a pattern of activities relating to the BKI. They have claimed responsibility for the grenade attacks that have been carried out in Punjab. On Wednesday, the BKI claimed responsibility for the low-intensity explosion that was reported outside the Punjab BJP headquarters in Chandigarh. The BKI, while claiming responsibility for the incident, said that Khalistan would be established soon.
Outfits such as the BKI have, for long, been seeking a separate Khalistan nation to be carved out of the Punjab.
Another official said that there are clear signs that the BKI has activated its grenade attack module. A similar module was busted by the Punjab police. However, recent events suggest that this module is back in action, the official also added.
When the previous module was busted in November 2025, the Punjab police had found that the accused persons were in contact with their ISI-backed handlers based in Malaysia. They were coordinating the pick up and delivery of the grenades with the help of these handlers.
Officials say that such modules are meant to carry out low-intensity attacks. The intention currently is not to cause major destruction. The intention is to spread panic and fear among the people and also keep the security agencies on their toes.
Intelligence agencies have warned that the BKI would look to step up operations on a major scale, and hence, a high state of alert would have to be maintained. The BKI and the ISI are desperate and would go to any lengths to push their agenda, the Intelligence Bureau has warned.
–IANS
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